Geography

• Mesopotamia is a Greek word meaning 'between the rivers'. The rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates which flow through modern Iraq. The Euphrates also flows through much of Syria.

• Mesopotamia is made up of different regions, each with its own geography. The geography of each area and the natural resources found there affected the ways that people lived.

• Northern Mesopotamia is made up of hills and plains. The land is quite fertile due to seasonal rains, and the rivers and streams flowing from the mountains. Early settlers farmed the land and used timber, metals and stone from the mountains nearby.

• Southern Mesopotamia is made up of marshy areas and wide, flat, barren plains. Cities developed along the rivers which flow through the region. Early settlers had to irrigate the land along the banks of the rivers in order for their crops to grow. Since they did not have many natural resources, contact with neighbouring lands was important.

 

Time

• Early civilizations first developed in Mesopotamia over six thousand years ago. Some of the first cities were established, a writing system was developed, empires were created and monumental buildings were constructed.

• As each new group of people moved into the region, or took control of the government, they adopted some of the culture, traditions and beliefs of the people who had come before them. Therefore, certain aspects of civilization in Mesopotamia remained the same, and some changed over time.

• Much of Mesopotamian history lay buried beneath the sand and soil for thousands of years. However, there were clues, such as the mounds known as 'tells', and the ruins of ziggurats, that treasures lay below the surface.

• In the past two hundred years, people have begun to excavate objects and buildings which reveal the ancient history of this region. 

 

Writing

• Over five thousand years ago, people living in Mesopotamia developed a form of writing to record and communicate different types of information.

• The earliest writing was based on pictograms. Pictograms were used to communicate basic information about crops and taxes.

• Over time, the need for writing changed and the signs developed into a script we call cuneiform.

• Over thousands of years, Mesopotamian scribes recorded daily events, trade, astronomy, and literature on clay tablets. Cuneiform was used by people throughout the ancient Near East to write several different languages.